Columbia Student Alleges ICE Retaliation for Pro-Palestinian Activism
A Columbia University student has accused the Trump administration of targeting her for deportation due to her pro-Palestinian activism. She alleges that immigration authorities are using similar tactics previously employed against other student activists such as Mahmoud Khalil, who is being detained in Louisiana.
Yunseo Chung, a 21-year-old lawful permanent resident who immigrated from South Korea to the United States at the age of seven, claims in her recent lawsuit that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began efforts to deport her shortly after her arrest on March 5.
Chung was detained during a protest criticizing Columbia University’s disciplinary measures against students involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations. Media reports identified her as part of a group arrested following a sit-in at a Barnard College library, which neighbors Columbia.
According to Chung’s lawsuit, ICE had issued an administrative warrant and tried to apprehend her at her family’s residence within days of her arrest. On March 10, Chung learned through her attorney that federal authorities had decided to revoke her lawful permanent resident status. Three days later, law enforcement officials searched two university-owned residences, including Chung’s dormitory, in pursuit of immigration documents and travel records.
Chung is currently a junior at Columbia, where she made it onto the dean’s list every semester and has maintained a 3.99 GPA. She has also been involved in the Columbia Undergraduate Law Review and pursued internships in the legal field.
Her lawsuit seeks judicial intervention to halt the Trump administration’s efforts to deport noncitizen students involved in campus activism against Israeli military actions in Gaza. Chung requests the court prohibit her detention, forced relocation outside New York City, or deportation while the legal proceedings are underway.
The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Manhattan, accuses high-ranking federal officials of aiming to silence voices critical of U.S. foreign policy regarding Israel and Palestine, stating they “are attempting to use immigration enforcement as a bludgeon to suppress speech that they dislike, including Ms. Chung’s speech.”
“ICE’s shocking actions against Ms. Chung form part of a larger pattern of attempted U.S. government repression of constitutionally protected protest activity and other forms of speech. The government’s repression has focused specifically on university students who speak out in solidarity with Palestinians and who are critical of the Israeli government’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza or the pro-Israeli policies of the U.S. government and other U.S. institutions.”
Responding to the lawsuit, a senior Department of Homeland Security spokesperson stated, “Yunseo Chung has engaged in concerning conduct, including when she was arrested by NYPD during a pro-Hamas protest at Barnard College.”
“She is being sought for removal proceedings under the immigration laws. Chung will have an opportunity to present her case before an immigration judge.”
Chung, who majors in English and gender studies, has actively participated in pro-Palestinian demonstrations since last year. However, her lawyers emphasized that she held no leadership role, did not speak to the media, nor did she negotiate on behalf of fellow protesters.
Despite this, Columbia University accused her of participating in posting fliers depicting members of the university’s board of trustees accompanied by the phrase “wanted for complicity in genocide.” According to Chung’s lawsuit, the university still concluded she had not violated any of its applicable policies.
Chung’s lawsuit references five similar cases in her lawsuit, including Mahmoud Khalil, another Columbia student, and Momodou Taal, a 31-year-old Cornell Ph.D. student from the UK and Gambia. Taal recently received notice to surrender to immigration authorities after challenging efforts to deport him over his involvement in campus protests.
In Taal’s case, the Justice Department claims his student visa was revoked due to involvement in disruptive demonstrations that breached university policy and allegedly fostered a hostile environment for Jewish students. Despite these claims, Taal’s lawyer argued that no criminal charges had been filed against him and that his brief presence at a protest for five minutes was constitutionally protected. “If the First Amendment does not protect the right to attend a demonstration, what’s left? Not much,” he stated.
“The government’s actions are an unprecedented and unjustifiable assault on First Amendment and other rights, one that cannot stand basic legal scrutiny. Simply put, immigration enforcement — here, immigration detention and threatened deportation — may not be used as a tool to punish noncitizen speakers who express political views disfavored by the current administration.”
Other academics and students at universities like Georgetown and Brown have experienced visa cancellations or entry denials due to their involvement in demonstrations or advocacy supporting Palestinians.
Immigration authorities have frequently relied on a rarely invoked statute authorizing the Secretary of State to revoke visas of noncitizens deemed threats to U.S. foreign-policy interests. The lawsuit states, “They would retaliate against and punish noncitizens, including Ms. Chung, for their actual or perceived advocacy for Palestinian rights.”
In a prominent case, Mahmoud Khalil was detained by ICE shortly after finishing his master’s degree at Columbia. The Trump administration alleged his involvement in “antisemitic activities,” citing his significant role as a negotiator in student protests, including the widely publicized campus tent encampments, as proof of support for Hamas, a designated terrorist organization by the U.S.
Authorities further claimed Khalil omitted details of his previous employment with a UN agency, his continued role at the British embassy in Beirut, and his affiliation with Columbia University Apartheid Divest, a coalition critical of Israel’s policies. Khalil’s attorney dismissed these accusations as unfounded, arguing that the government bears the responsibility of demonstrating that any omissions were intentional and substantially relevant.
Moumita Basuroychowdhury is a Contributing Reporter at The National Digest. After earning an economics degree at Cornell University, she moved to NYC to pursue her MFA in creative writing. She enjoys reporting on science, business and culture news. You can reach her at moumita.b@thenationaldigest.com.
